About Me

Bilingual Roman Catholic priest of the Southern Dominican Province. The "homilettes" on this website are completely the work of Fr. Mele. He may be contacted at cmeleop@yahoo.com.
Telephone: (415) 279-9234.

Although St. Joseph the Worker is an optional memorial,
it is one of those feast days that most Catholics remember.It is fitting, therefore, to apply the readings
for the Easter season to work.Fortunately,
it can be done today without stretching the meaning of at least the first
reading.

The passage from Acts describes the glory and the hardship
of the work of the apostles.Paul and
Barnabas have successfully evangelized apparently thousands of people.When they return to Antioch, they duly celebrate
their accomplishment.The job has not
been easy, however.Today’s reading also
depicts Paul being stoned and left for dead.

All work has similar benefits and costs.Even in pitching hay a worker develops some
skill.Honest work also brings the
satisfaction of contributing to the common good.On the other hand, work contains elements that
challenge physically, mentally, and emotionally.As the apostles did at the start of their
mission, we want to commend our work to God.And as they no doubt include in their celebration, we need to thank God
for work accomplished.

Fernando de Loazes was archbishop
of Valencia during the sixteenth century.His humanist background saw heavy-handed inquisitorial attempts to convert
Muslims as futile.In fact, he succeeded
in evangelization by convincing non-believers of the gospel’s efficacy. St. Paul had the same experience fifteen
hundred years before.In today’s first
reading Paul struggles with cultural differences as he preaches in Lystra.

When Paul cures the paralytic, he
no doubt expects to gain the attention of the people.After all, the crowds in Jerusalem listened
to Peter after he made a similar cure.So Paul prepares himself to preach about Jesus.But Jews can differentiate between God and His
prophets with healing power.Greeks, on
the other hand, assume that the healer is a god. Paul and Barnabas then are proclaimed “Zeus”
and “Hermes” of mythological fame. Because
the people speak the lingua franca, the
apostles are unaware of what is happening.Only when the people bring animal offerings do they catch on.Paul then tries to reason with the people,
but his argument is in vain.As when he
preaches natural theology in Athens, the people are not affected.He learns by experience the lesson of today’s
gospel.People need to be convinced of
God’s love through the love of those who work in His name.

We too can evangelize by showing
God’s love to others.We do this when we
listen to another’s pain and respond with a word of understanding.Love evangelizes more powerfully than either
logic or force.

During the first years of the Church, Christians considered
themselves members of “the Way.”They were
not the first group to do so.Essenes,
living in the desert, also identified themselves by that name. Of course, “way” here does not designate a
road as friends living on Willow Way. Rather, “the Way” indicates a form of
living, a “way of life.”Jesus’ disciple
in today’s gospel confuses these two senses of “way.”

Jesus is trying to console his companions as he prepares
to leave them.He gives them the reason
for his departure - to prepare a place for them in the family home.He adds that he will return to take them to his
Father’s eternal home.Finally, he says
that they know “the way” to go until his return.At this point Philip, who at the beginning of
the gospel was eager to follow Jesus, demurs.He claims ignorance of “the way” as if following Jesus were a matter of
walking up an avenue.

We know “the way” of Jesus.It is conforming ourselves to his mode of love.Where that word has been terribly distorted
these days, we strive to restore its original meaning.We seek the well-being of one another without
worrying about the cost to ourselves.This is the way that Jesus has shown us.

Pope Francis has recently proclaimed Pope VI a
saint.St. Paul VI, a wise and holy man,
wrote two outstanding Church documents.One, Humanae Vitae, critiqued
the ascendant values or, better, disvalues of artificial contraception.The other, Evangelii Nuntiandi, proposed a dynamic plan for Church members in
the modern world.This plan reflects a
statement in today’s gospel

Jesus indicates to his disciples that they are being sent
into the world.He wants them to
proclaim his death on the cross as the definitive sign of God’s love.The same disciples carried out their mission,
but still not all the people believed.So the mission has been handed on to Christian disciples today.

That is, it has been given to us.We are to proclaim the love of God not so much
by word as by deed.Jesus shows the
disciples on hand what love means by washing their feet.He then asks that they do likewise.In the same way we are to wash the feet of
others.The washing is not literal.We are not to open foot baths all over
town.Rather the washing is figurative.We are to serve others by doing what is truly
helpful and needed.

St. Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four and in all probability
the first written.Its Greek is rustic,
and its text is full of primary emotions.But none of these factors make it so compelling.More than anything Mark’s gospel conveys
urgency because it justifies the suffering of discipleship.

After Peter intuits Jesus’ identity as Messiah, Jesus gives
a warning to those who will accept him as such.Since he will suffer for the sake of God’s kingdom, they must prepare
themselves for the same.Jesus does not
tolerate any pretension of glory among them.Rather he tells them that the one who will be first must serve the rest
until the end.The passion narrative in
Mark does not spare Jesus any pain or cruelty.He is tortured, ridiculed, and lingers on the cross more in Mark than in
any other gospel.His followers can
expect similar mistreatment.

With few exceptions Christians experience suffering even martyrdom
in greater numbers today than ever.But in
truth few of us are likely to be tortured physically.However, we may be belittled or even
ostracized for making Sunday worship a priority or for defending refugees and life
in the womb.As readers of Mark’s
gospel, we should welcome such opportunities to follow our Lord and Savior.

The gospel reading today begins by declaring that the
Feast of the Dedication was taking place.The occasion marked the successful Jewish revolt against their Greek
overlords.By Jesus’ time Rome has taken
control of Israel. The Romans may not
have been as oppressive as the Greeks, but their occupation was deeply
resented.The desire for a Messiah to
lead a new revolt precipitates the demand of Jesus to declare himself.

In all the gospels Jesus alters the role of a Messiah.He indicates, be it directly or indirectly,
that he is not a warrior-Messiah like David. In the passage at hand, however, he says that
he is still like David in another respect.He is a shepherd who cares for his flock.He says that he gives those who follow him
something greater than political autonomy.He provides them “eternal life.”This new way of living with neither bitterness nor regret transcends
natural desire.It belongs exclusively
to God.For this reason Jesus says that
he does the work of his Father.

Like the Jews in Jesus’ day, we have to reconsider what
we want.Are we taken up with
vindication and domination?Or do we
seek peace through love?The former
qualities belong to the world as we know it.The latter is the promise of God in Jesus Christ.

“Growing pains” occasionally affect children in their
sleep.They cause some to wake up in the
night with discomfort in their legs.Since
researchers have not found an underlying cause for these pains, they are named
for growth, a phenomenon associated with children.In the first reading we find the early Church
afflicted with its “growing pains.”

One of the great issues for the Church in its first decades is
whether to accept non-Jews into its fold.Non-Jews are not gentiles who become Jews through circumcision and eating
kosher but gentiles who refuse to accept Jewish customs.Since Jesus was a Jew, could gentiles follow
him without living as he did?This is
the critical question.In the reading from
Acts today Peter defers to none other than the Holy Spirit for an answer.He explains to the Jerusalem inquisition that
he baptized Cornelius’ household upon seeing that they manifested the gifts of
the Spirit.

Today the Church has other issues to deal with.We can easily name a few – people in second
marriages after a divorce, the care of the sick in “persistent vegetative
state,” the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate.Too often differences on these questions
create fragmentation and suspicion.Like
Peter we should turn to the Holy Spirit for guidance.That is, we should recognize that what is most
authentically Christian is the primacy of charity.On some issues change may be impossible for
reason of consistency with tradition and coherency with established teaching.Even here, however, there is an imperative to
treat the people who are passionately involved with respect and tenderness.

In his new apostolic exhortation Pope Francis writes of
the need for humiliation.He says that
people need to be humiliated so that they may become saintly.He continues that humiliation conforms
Christians to Jesus who suffered so much at the hands of humans.He adds that Christ reveals the humility of
his Father, who has accompanied His people only to be continually
rejected.In today’s first reading Paul
undergoes significant humiliation.It
may be considered the fundamental step in his journey to saintly prominence.

Paul’s first humiliation is in meeting Jesus whom he
dismissed as dead.He has discovered
that the cause to which he has dedicated himself is not only vain but also
blasphemous.He also suffers the
humiliation of being blinded and having to be led about like a child.For a capable man like Paul this humiliation
must have been very frustrating.Finally, Paul suffers the humiliation of initially being considered
suspect by other Christians.He is
feared, no doubt, as a possible double agent.These humiliations prove to be transformative.Paul becomes so humble that he will accept
hardship, torture, even execution.Nothing is too great for him to endure in order to complete the mission
given to him by the Lord.

It is interesting that Francis does not use “humbling”
but “humiliation.”Humbling would be
less radical, more a regular step toward self-knowledge.Humiliation implies an inflated self-image
that calls for considerable downsizing.Francis is suggesting, perhaps, what our mothers tried to teach us.We must learn the world does not center
around us.Rather we have to serve in it,
above all, the God who has created and redeemed us.

The two readings today fit together like a hand in a
glove.In the first Philip is sent by
God to meet the Ethiopian eunuch on the road.He reaches his assigned traveler just as the man is reading one of the Servant
Songs of Isaiah.When the man suggests
that he needs Philip’s help to interpret the passage, Philip gladly
complies.He tells the eunuch that the
passage refers to Jesus and wastes no time in baptizing him.

It is not just chance that brings the two men
together.Since Philip is sent by God’s
angel, God is the instigator of the encounter.In the gospel Jesus tells the crowds in Capernaum, “’No one can come to
me unless the Father who sent me draw him…’”The Ethiopian eunuch is but one example of God’s grace drawing people to
His Son.

God has called each of us as well to Jesus.We may not feel especially graced because we are
overly influenced by worldly values.No
matter, we are truly blessed.We belong
to a Church along with many gracious people.We have eternal life as our destiny. Most of all, Jesus has become our
friend.We can rely on him to meet our
needs.

In his recent apostolic exhortation Pope Francis reminds Christians
of their call to holiness.He says that
Christ provides them help to reach their goal.When Christians feel overwhelmed, Francis exhorts them to beseech Christ
crucified.The pope only confirms what
Jesus is saying in today’s gospel.

Jesus boldly says, “I am the bread of life.”Attention should be given to both parts of
this statement.When Jesus declares, “I
am,” he is giving the code word for divinity. He is to be trusted more than
anyone else because he is God.When he
says, “…the bread of life,” he does not mean ordinary life for which food is
required to survive.Rather he provides
the means to the joy and peace of life in its fullest sense.He invites everyone - rich and poor, black
and white, homosexual and heterosexual – to accept his offer.

There is a cost to follow Jesus.It is not monetary, but it is substantial.If we are to become holy and have life in its
fullest sense, we have to walk in Jesus’ way.We have to be patient with the elderly, compassionate with the needy,
and gracious to all.Do not worry.This is not a prescription of sacrifice so
much as one of happiness.

According to one journalist a ferocious debate is taking
place about food.The topic is how to
assure that everyone eats when the world’s population rises to ten
billion.The journalist calls the two
sides of the debate “wizards” and “prophets.”Wizards predict that technological manipulation of present crops will be
able to feed such great numbers.Prophets believe that people will have to change eating habits if
everyone is to have enough to eat.They
call for eating less meat and more grains and vegetables.Jesus may be seen as weighing in on the issue
in today’s gospel.

The people want Jesus to perform a miracle.Knowing that he has just fed over 5,000, they
want him to give another such sign.But they
are missing the point of Jesus’ feeding.More than bread, they need to trust in Jesus’ word if they are to grow in
life.By following his teachings, they
will come to possess even eternal life.Thus
Jesus shows himself in a sense to be both a wizard and a prophet.As a prophet, he teaches people to abandon
old ways of jealousy and rivalry. As a wizard,
he tells them of a radical way to love one another.

Jesus’ word has been embodied in the Eucharist.When we take his body and blood, we commit
ourselves to his ways.The food itself
has enormous value.It provides us the
grace to let go of hard feelings so that we might take care of one another.In this way we follow Jesus to eternal life.

Saints Peter and Paul seem to dominate the Acts of the
Apostles.Yet the story is not primarily
about them.Much less does is it
dominated by the work of the apostles as a whole.Above all, the Acts of the Apostles features the
Holy Spirit.The one whom is to be
called the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity is at work throughout the story.He develops the Christian community and moves
its center from Jerusalem.The Spirit,
not Paul or chance, brings the gospel to Rome.From there it will be dispersed throughout the world.

Stephen has been chosen for the work of the apostles precisely
because he has the Spirit.Jesus once promised
that the Spirit will enable his disciples to defend themselves (Luke 12:12).In today’s passage the Spirit is seen
performing this task.Stephen’s preaching
with the Spirit surpasses the arguments of his interlocutors.Resenting his mastery, the defeated debaters
go to the authorities to silence Stephen.The Spirit does not spare Stephen martyrdom, but he gives him an unparalleled
countenance.No other person in
Scripture is said to have “the face of an angel.”

We have received the same Spirit.He moves us to speak the truth to power and to
recognize our own falsities.The Spirit,
most of all, enables us to make sacrifices for the benefit of others out of
love.In doing the latter, we too will
have - to some extent at least - “the face of an angel.”

Pope Francis has criticized the “culture of waste” found
in both rich and poor countries.He has called the way many people throw food
away like “stealing from the table of the poor and hungry.”There are hundreds of millions of people who
are undernourished while the rich and middle classes and often poorer people are
growing obese.Not only is the situation
ironic and scandalous, it also blinds one to Jesus’ work in the gospel.

Jesus producing a superabundance of food cannot be
appreciated outside a culture where it is in short supply.In first century Palestine yields were a
fraction of modern production and storage from pests a perennial problem.In today’s passage, however, Jesus takes just
enough food for a small family, multiplies it, feeds a crowd of well over five
thousand, and finds enough bread for a feast remaining.John the evangelist is showing why Jesus is the
Son of God destined to rise from the dead.He pictures him here as a new Moses with many elements of the Exodus
saga: mention of a sea and of the Passover feast, going up a mountain, and of
course feeding legions with bread from heaven.The people in John’s story understand Jesus to the fulfillment of Moses’
prophecy: “I will raise up for them a prophet like
you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will
tell them everything I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Following Jesus, we heed his command to care for the poor
and needy. In this way, we look forward to his leading us beyond the enticements
of this world to a realm of everlasting love.This is the fulfilment of his Easter promise.Death itself will not hinder us from reaching
our deepest yearning for happiness.

Since atrocities have been committed in the name of
religion, we have to be careful about Peter’s statement in today’s first
reading, “We must obey God rather than men.”We hear of Muslim “holy wars,” but there was a time when Christian Europe
was so tragically engaged.To discern
whether a particular impulse is of God or not, we must, as the first Letter of
John puts it, “test the spirits.”

Testing the spirits means to compare whether a proposed
action conforms to Scripture.Take the
case of the committed Christian who asks herself, “Should I take on another
ministry, or am I already failing to do justice to the work I have?”She will find in St. Paul’s writing the bold
statements: “I have become all things to all people” (I Cor 19:22) and “Be
imitators of me” (I Cor 11:1).At the
same time she may note how Jesus makes strategic retreats at times (e.g., Mark
7:24) and refuses to become overly involved in any one locale (e.g., Mark 1:38).Obviously we sometimes need assistance in our
discernment.Fortunately, most of us
have wise people nearby whom we may consult.

We Christians have Jesus as our primary model of virtue.Unlike Mohammed who was a businessman and a
warrior, Jesus was a pacifist teacher.He will not lead us into battles at those which promote social supremacy
more than defend the common good.Some
of his sayings are not to be taken literally.(If you have ever looked at pornography, do not pluck on your eye.)But we should always pray to him for assistance.As he says in today’s gospel, he “does not
ration the gift of the Spirit” of wisdom.

There can be no doubt to whose life the angel refers to in
the first reading when he tells the apostles, “’Go and take you place in the
temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.’”At the
beginning of the Book of Acts as he is about to ascend into heaven, Jesus instructs
them “to be my witnesses” in Jerusalem and throughout the world.The angel is just reiterating that command.

Acts gives various examples of the apostolic witness.But the most famous summary of “this life” is seen in today’s
gospel.Jells tells Nicodemus, “’God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.’”Jesus is of God – His “Son.”He comes to testify to God’s love for “the
world” – all humanity.This love is most
powerfully witnessed when he willingly dies on the cross – among the cruelest
of sufferings ever endured.

The witness of love has been shown to us today through
the apostles, their successors, and many other true witnesses of Christ.It compels us to love others by sacrificing some
of our time, talent, and treasure.We are
more than willing to do this but not really for altruism’s sake. No, we love even when it hurts, as Jesus says,
so that we “’might have eternal life.’”

Everyone who has heard the four gospels a few times knows
that John is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.One significant difference is that in John’s
gospel Jesus does not teach much with parables.There are no long pedagogic stories in John like the “Good Samaritan” in
Luke or the “Vineyard Owner” in Mark.Rather John is the master of another teaching technique that is not commonly
found in the others. In John Jesus teaches
by means of extended dialogues with different characters such as Nicodemus in
today’s gospel.

Nicodemus has come to Jesus “at night,” which is symbolic
for being unenlightened.Perhaps he is impressed
with Jesus like those in the first reading who witness the Jerusalem Christian
community holding everything in common.In any case Jesus tells Nicodemus about the power behind such generous
sharing.It is this way “with everyone
who is born of the Spirit.”When
Nicodemus asks about the source of the Spirit, Jesus replies a bit cryptically
but nevertheless understandably to the Christian readers of the gospel.The source of the Spirit is Jesus, the Son of
Man, being “lifted up” on the cross.

Believers’ generosity has drawn many non-believers and
lukewarm believers to Christ over the century.We should not be afraid to contribute to this effort.This does not mean that we make public
displays of our giving.But it moves us
to treat all people better than fairly, showing particular care for the poor
and unemployed.

A new coffee filter promises to make better coffee by
filtering the water before it touches the coffee grounds.Separating the good from the bad or the true
from the false has always been a helpful exercise.It is the essence of discernment which in
turn is at the heart of today’s readings.

King Ahaz sounds pious when he rejects Isaiah’s offer for
a sign in the first reading.Actually he
is refusing to engage in discernment so that he might enter into a pact with
Assyria.God expects obedience from His
creatures, not sanctimony.The Letter to
the Hebrews shows Christ responding in the way God desires: “’…behold, I come
to do your will, O God,” he says.The
four gospels are in accord that discerning and obeying the Lord’s will is a
particular attribute of Jesus.But he is
not the only one who does God’s will.Mary, his mother, proves herself similarly obedient.In today’s gospel she discerns the sign of Elizabeth’s
pregnancy as a sufficient indicator of what God expects of her.

We often have difficulty discerning God’s will.Signs are ambiguous.The probable results of proposed actions are
unclear.Prayer is helpful in such
situations as is seeking advice of wise people.We also have to questions our motives in doing one thing or
another.Then we act, never doing
anything contrary to what we know to be God’s will and always praying for God’s
assistance.

Speaking truth to power often puts one in danger.Martin Luther King, Jr., did it continually and
died by an assassin’s bullet.Archbishop
Oscar Romero of El Salvador also spoke up on behalf of the poor and likewise
died a martyr’s death.Both of these
contemporary prophets no doubt were inspired by Peter’s speech in today’s first
reading.

Peter is being harassed by Jewish authorities for having invoked
the name of Jesus.His persecutors want
to suppress the cult of Jesus, but Peter cannot but proclaim what he experienced
with Jesus’ resurrection.As he says,
God raised Jesus from the dead and there is no salvation other than in him.Peter publicly pronounces Jesus’ salvation
four other times in the Acts of the Apostles.Although Acts does not tell of his martyrdom, his fate is sealed for so
boldly declaring the primary Christian message.

All of us have opportunity to speak truth to power.When we find ourselves confronting an
injustice, we should prepare ourselves to speak well.We want to make sure that what we say is true.Sometimes the power we are addressing is not
as evil as it appears.Then we must be
ready to endure repercussions.However,
if we know what we are talking about and say it with prudence, we may convince at
least some of the powerful people who oppose us.Finally, we want to pray for assistance.Jesus promises his disciples his continued presence
when they speak what he teaches.

During the Easter season the Church does not use the Old
Testament in its liturgies other than the Psalms.Its purpose is to emphasize how Jesus’
resurrection makes everything new.But
this does not mean that the Old Testament is entirely silent.It is so inextricable to the Christian
message that it will be continually found in readings selected from the New
Testament.This can be demonstrated in in
today’s first reading.

After healing the lame man St. Peter explains the purpose
of the miracle to the astonished people.He says that God is using the healing to glorify Jesus in whose name it
was performed.Then Peter identifies
Jesus as the prophet whom Moses anticipates in the Book of Deuteronomy.Belief of this prophet, he indicates, brings
salvation from one’s sins.Not heeding
him, Moses continues, will lead to being cut off from God’s people.

The Jews to this day have never converted en masse to Christ. This does that mean, however, that they have
forsaken their heritage as God’s chosen people.At Vatican II the bishops taught, citing St. Paul, that God is always
faithful to his promise, that God will never withdraw his favor from
Israel.We pray that the Jews will be
faithful to the Covenant made to Moses.In this way they will help us to understand Jesus better.He came to redeem all humanity, even those
who do not acknowledge him as their savior.

As the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, falls the
day after Christmas, today marks not just the fourth day of Easter but also the
fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.King should be seen as a contemporary martyr
who daily risked his life until he was murdered.The motive of the crime was racial bigotry
which King prophesied against with heart, mind, and soul.

Today’s gospel shows Jesus’ disciples unable to recognize
him as he explained to them the Hebrew Scriptures. Fifty years ago many Americans had a similar blindness
to King’s biblical denunciation of racism.They had to be awakened to the evil by the murders of innocent children,
civil rights workers, and finally the prophet King himself.

We honor Martin Luther King today by examining our attitudes
and actions to people of other social backgrounds.Like Peter and John going out to the crippled
man in today’s first reading we have to look in the eyes of men and women of
other races, religions, sexual tendencies, and economic statuses and
demonstrate our care for them.Money was
not the principal concern of the apostles nor is it ours today.More than anything else, a greater commitment
to social solidarity is needed among the different peoples who make up our society.

Deacon Luis is known as a happy fellow.His smile beams just about all the time.He is also kind and helpful.One cannot tell from anything in his demeanor
that he suffers considerable pain.Arthritis
pervades his bones and an injury that has been diagnosed as a cracked pelvis
continually reminds him of its presence.He takes a prescribed painkiller, but there appears to be more than that
to give him such a gracious countenance.Luis seems to have appropriated the joy of the resurrection which both
readings today intimate.

In the gospel Maria is at first sad not only because of
the traumatic ending to Jesus’ life but also because she believes that his body
has been stolen.When Jesus calls her by
name, her tears turn into ecstasy.She cannot
help but cling to her teacher and friend.In the reading from Acts Peter advises the Jews not to worry about
having crucified God’s chosen one.Rather, he tells them to be baptized to receive the Holy Spirit who not
only forgives sins but also instills the hope of eternal life.

So why do some of us Christians today go about with heavy
hearts and downcast faces?Pope Francis
has commented that many sport a “face of a funeral wake.”It is probably so because they have a hard
time accepting the fact that salvation is a gift and not something we
earn.Christ has done the work through
his death and resurrection.Now we
accompany him in joy.